By Steve Nash, Dec. 30, 2009

Suns Update

Since I last blogged my team has been a bit up and down – we’ve had some good wins and some tough losses. We got a good win on Monday night and it was a very important game for us, not just because it was against the Lakers, but mainly because we haven’t been playing very well and we needed a win, but more importantly we needed a good performance.

Hopefully we can get back to playing well consistently in the new year so we can keep pace with the top teams in the West.

Baron’s Buzzer Beater

Did you guys catch Baron’s buzzer beater against the Celtics on Sunday? If not, check it out here.

I tweeted Baron after the game to congratulate him on the shot, but I haven’t heard back from him yet, but I talked to him the day before that game. I hope he’s enjoying it.

Hitting game-winning shots and buzzer beaters are definitely special and make for great memories. We’ve had a couple of games this year where I was lucky enough to hit a game-winning shot. It wasn’t a buzzer beater but it was the last few seconds, so it always feels good because you know it’s the difference between winning or losing a game. And that’s always the most fun way to share a win with your teammates.

We played against Baron and the Clippers on Christmas Day and thankfully we didn’t give him a chance to hit a game-winner against us. We won that game pretty handily by 31 points.

It was a little bit strange to play against a good friend like Baron on Christmas. It’s strange enough to play a game on Christmas day, and then to also play against a friend, it’s different. We had plans for him to come over for Christmas dinner the night before our game, but their flight was late so he wasn’t able to come. We’ll have to make a point to get together soon.

Christmas

Speaking of Christmas, that was my favorite holiday as a kid and I have so many memories from Christmas growing up. Obviously when you are young getting presents is a pretty exciting time but also just all the decorations, and the music, and all the cultural things that go along with the holiday are really fun. It’s a fun time of the year, everyone is in a good mood, and I have tons of great memories from childhood in Christmas.

I think the coolest gift that I received as a kid was a pair of Air Jordans when I was 12 or 13 years old. They were black and blue; I can still remember them now. I’m not much of a Christmas shopper so I got lucky this year because all I had to buy was the my wife’s gift and she took care of shopping for everyone else.

Dunks

So I’ve been told that fans in China are asking the question, “Can Steve Nash dunk?” Well, the answer is I don’t know, I used to be able to, but I haven’t tried for couple years. It’s probably been a couple of years since I dunked.

I dunked for the first time when I was in the 10th grade. I used to have to throw the ball in the air and let it bounce, and then I’d run up and jump and dunk it in.

While I don’t do much dunking these days, there are plenty of point guards that are extremely explosive so there’s been some great dunks by point guards. Obviously everyone remembers Baron’s dunk on Andrei Kirilenko a few years ago. That was one of the best along with Kevin Johnson’s dunk on Hakeem Olajuwon.

All-Star

If you haven’t seen it yet, check out my new video showing why you should vote for me to start in this year’s NBA All-Star Game.



This video was just about having fun and making a joke of it. I think it’s important to have some fun and not take yourself too seriously and that’s why I decided to make this video.

It was be pretty cool to start in the All-Star Game, especially with Amar’e being the leading vote-getter among Western Conference centers. I think it would be fun for us to both make the team as starters. We did it once before so to do it again would be great.

If I had to make my picks for the All-Star starting lineups, in the East I would go with Rajon Rondo and Dwyane Wade at the guards, LeBron James and Kevin Garnett as the forwards and Dwight Howard at center. Most of those picks are pretty standard, but I decided to vote for Rondo because I think he is having a great year and the Celtics have the best record in the league.

In the West, there are a lot of good point guards; you can’t go wrong with Chris Paul or so many of the other good point guards. Obviously, I’d go with Kobe as the shooting guard, I would say Amar’e is the center, Dirk is at the four spot and Carmelo Anthony at the three. I chose Carmelo over Kevin Durant because he’s got a little bit more experience, but Durant is right there.



By Steve Nash, Dec. 14, 2009

Welcome

Hello everyone and welcome to the Point-Counterpoint Blog that myself and Baron Davis will be writing this season. We hope it will help you to get to know a little bit more about us both on and off the court. Baron and I have a bit of a history together – hopefully you’ve all seen the Step Brothers video that we did last year. If not, check it out now.



This Season and The Diet

I feel like I have something to prove every season and I don’t feel this season is any different. I feel like I’ve always been an underdog ever since I was in high school, I had one scholarship offer, I started my NBA career without much fanfare and I think it’s still in me that feeling that I always have to prove myself.

We got off to a good start this season, but I think we are slowing down a little bit. We’ve already played 15 road games this season, which is the most of any team in the NBA, and that takes a toll on your body. For me personally I just try to stick to my individual plan with my diet and making sure I get a lot of sleep and that I get my same training in every day so that I’m ready to play and perform for my team.

I’ve been on this diet since last year where I just try to eat all natural things, I don’t try to eat any processed or synthetic foods, and for my sweets, I do my best to stick with fruit or all natural substances. I basically eat chicken, fish, fruits, vegetables, raw nuts and brown rice.

Changing my diet was a little tough at first, but I don’t even remember now. I feel way better, I feel I have more energy, I rarely feel sick or down, and mentally I feel good. Maybe I am a little bit crazy, maybe I am just lucky, but I really want to make the most of my opportunity to play basketball and to live a happy and healthy lifestyle, for the most part, the benefits greatly outweigh the sacrifices.

The diet helps me to train, to play, it helps me to recover, it helps my body be more immune to illness, it helps me recover from injuries, from bruises we get along the way, it allows me to sleep better, so I think it’s really important especially you getting into the second half of your career, to make a commitment to your craft and to do so, I think the diet is a very important part to it.

I would recommend this diet to anyone – including you Baron – but I think first of all people have to decide what they want, people just love to eat different types of food so its up to them if they want to do it.

Baron, I know you worked really hard this summer, so I don’t know, you might be like “great, I would love to try it,” but maybe you just love some foods and they make you happy. I don’t want someone to give up too much, so it only matters what you can give up.

World Cup

I’m definitely excited for the 2010 World Cup checked out the final draw last week. My family is from England so since I was born I always supported the England team. We have what most people say is a favorable group with USA, Slovenia and Algeria, so that’s a positive thing to many people, but at the same time soccer is a funny game and you lose one game and you put yourself in a bad position, anything can happen.

When the draw came out everyone said that Group G was the Group of Death and I think it’s more of a group of death by default. Usually I feel there is a legitimate group of death, but this year I feel more like there’s no group is that daunting or difficult, but I think you could pick the toughest group, that could be the one.

Thierry Henry is a friend of mine so I’ll be following France to see how they do. I think France is the most talented team in their group by far, but at the same time they have to go out and prove it, they are going into the world cup in some controversy, and Thierry might even be suspended, so you never know. They are still the best team in the group, but I would say that, obviously South Africa at home is going to be very inspired and Mexico and Uruguay are two historic soccer nations that will be up for it. So France has to play well, if they play well they will go through, if they don’t they will be in trouble.

Obviously when Thierry’s name comes up now everyone talks about the handball and I think it’s a shame. I don’t think he mean to do it, I think it’s a split second thing, the ball came over a bunch of people’s heads, he couldn’t see it, all of a sudden it pops up skips off the grass hit his hand, and then he redeflected it again and in that second it’s impossible to say “oh, this is a guy we should throw out of the earth.” I mean it’s a shame he did it, if he’s penalized, he should be only penalized by the precedent, where other people are being penalized for it. If not, we see people gaining an advantage in sport especially in soccer everyday, so whether it’s pulling someone’s shirt, whether it’s fouling, whether it’s pretending they got fouled in the penalty area for a penalty kick, so I think you have to set to precedent that they will watch the replay, and they will suspended everyone, if they going to do it to Thierry. So if they create that precedent, then I am fine with a suspension, but if they don’t, it’s unfair to single him out. I don’t think he left his house that morning saying “hey, I am going to cheat to win the game.”

I don’t have a prediction right now because it’s so far away, but I think the best teams are Spain and Brazil, but Argentina can always get up to speed, I think England is going to have the best team they had in a long time, and you know Germany and Italy are always difficult, so.

Now Baron is not really a soccer guy. I know you scored in the charity game so you think you’re a striker now and I’ll give you a passing grade for your first time playing. I know you haven’t spent much time with the ball so we can’t really expect Maradona.

New Generation of PGs

There are a lot of young point guards in the league, not just this year, but the last three or four years, it’s really strong and it’s exciting for the game I think to have a lot of young play makers. I think it’s an important part of the game, if the game is going to be a beautiful game, and going to be exciting and entertaining, you need play makers and true point guards, so it’s great there is a resurgence in the position lately.

If I could give any advice to this group of guys I would tell them they have to look at their career as a whole, obviously they want everything right now, and they are eager to impress and to prove how good they are, but you have to realize that sometimes things don’t always come easy and they don’t always come fast, especially when you are in the best league in the world. So if you look at your career as a whole, they have to work every day to try to improve, because that improvement, while it may not show this year or the next year, eventually it will be really important to them, and if they don’t have that attitude, they will regret it one day that they didn’t take every day as an opportunity to get better, because it will pay off somewhere down the line, even if it’s not this year.

I texted Brandon Jennings the night he scored 55 points to say congratulations on an amazing performance. I told him it took him two weeks to do what I couldn’t do in 13 and a half years. I mean that’s pretty unheard of, especially from a guy who’s 6 ft tall, 175 pounds, you didn’t expect him in his first 10 games get 55 points and be averaging 20 plus points. It’s a phenomenal accomplishment.

Right now he’s got to be my choice for Rookie of the Year, he’s had a phenomenal start to the season, and he is really the leader of that team already.



By Baron Davis, Jan. 9, 2010 -- NEW

Clippers Update

My Clippers have now won three in a row and four of our last five games. I’m hoping, wishing and praying that we keep turning this thing around after a slow start to the season. In terms of our growth and development, we’re growing as a ball club, we’re learning to trust each other, and right now we’re in a critical point in the season for us to keep building on some of the success we’ve had.

I think the sky is the limit for us. We have one of the most talented teams, man for man, in the entire NBA. I think that it’s just a matter of us finding a way to continue to mold and mesh our talents together to be a dominant force every time we step out on the floor.

We have Blake Griffin coming back soon and getting someone like Blake into the rotation will immediately improve our team. He’s still working his way back; right now he’s able to shoot and do some running, and its obvious he’s a really hard worker. For someone to look the way he does and be in the kind of shape he is in after being out this long, I’m very, very impressed.

Our last win came against the Lakers, snapping a nine-game losing streak to those guys. As far as where we want to be and how we want to be seen in the league and in our own city, beating the Lakers is big. I think that we can really learn and take a page out of the Lakers book because of the way they play and the level of intensity they’ve proven you need to win a championship. We know they’re the champs and they’ve set the bar really high for any organization to compete with, so its important for us to play well against a team like that in order for our confidence to grow and carry over in to how we play against other teams.

Game Winner

That shot ranks right up there with some of the best shots in my career. I remember I hit a game-winner against Boston two years ago. I guess it’s something about the Celtics and those East Coast teams that get my motor going. It ranks high up there because it’s a game that we needed to win, and one that a lot of people didn’t think we could win. And while I definitely think my best is yet to come, that so far has been my best game as a Clipper.

I just love being in those situations when the game is on the line. First, you have to have ultimate confidence that you’re going to make the shot. You have to want the ball and there can’t be any doubt about whether or not you’re going to make the shot. I always practiced the “last-second” shot as a kid, but no matter what, nothing is like being in that situation. Being in the moment and to have the opportunity to take the shot always means a lot to me.

Christmas/New Year’s

Even though we didn’t play very well, it was great to play against the Suns on Christmas Day. You grow up as a kid and you watch the NBA and look forward to this Christmas Day games, so to be able to be a part of the NBA holiday and play against a good friend was great. It’s what the Christmas and the NBA is all about, and that’s establishing friendships, great basketball, and an opportunity to play and inspire kids at home.

Christmas time definitely brings back a lot of memories. My favorite would have to be my grandfather building a basketball court for me on Christmas. That was the best gift I received as a kid.

I definitely like to give gifts as well. But for me it’s not always about just that one day, it’s about doing something for people that can affect them in a positive way, or maybe when they least expect it. I’ve been fortunate enough to be able to help several kids to go to school with scholarships, so without a doubt I think the best gift I can give is the opportunity for someone to receive a higher education and support them in pursuing their degree.

Not only did we play on Christmas, but we also had a game on New Year’s Eve. We got a win over the Sixers to close out 2009 in style. I really didn’t do anything afterward to celebrate the New Year. I just kind of relaxed, hung out and enjoyed my time. I never want to underestimate the fact that we were able to see another year go by, and have the chance to go into the New Year with a refreshed state-of-mind and a more positive attitude.

All Star

Nash’s “Vote for Me” for All-Star video was hilarious! Nice work Steve! He definitely gets my vote out West. It would be Nash and Kobe at the guards; Melo at the three; I know Amar’e is having another stellar year but I’ve got to put my boy Kaman at center and Zach Randolph at the other forward.

My starting five in the East would be D-Wade, LeBron, Dwight Howard, Chris Bosh, and for the other guard I would have to go with Joe Johnson. I saw Nash had Rondo starting. And while I don’t have Rondo starting, I definitely think that he should be an All-Star.

There’s a lot of talk about the All-Star voting with Tracy McGrady starting over Nash right now. In my opinion, this shows why the voting system should be changed. Honestly, it’s a popularity contest, but it should go to the people that deserve it. I think the players should vote on who they think the starting five should be, and then from there, the coaches pick, and then the fans should be able to pick the last two or three players.

Movies

I talked about wanting to see Avatar in the last blog and I still have not seen it and I am super, super upset. The only way I want to see it is on a 3D IMAX screening and every time I go to see it, it’s sold out. Hopefully I’ll be able to see it before the next blog comes up.

I know the awards season is coming up, but I can honestly say that I don’t have any favorites right now. In the next couple weeks I’m going to watch a lot of movies that have been nominated and then I’ll come up with my picks.



By Baron Davis, Dec. 21, 2009

Welcome

Hey everyone, Baron Davis here with my first entry in the Point-Counterpoint blog. I’ve got to respond to some of the stuff in Steve’s blog (Nash, are you doubting my soccer skills?!) and we’ll get into some new stuff as well.

Steve’s No-Sugar Diet

Okay, I’ve got to be honest, there is no way I’m trying Steve’s diet right now. I am not ready to completely give up sugar like Steve did. I like sugar too much to do that. But I have been doing pretty good on my own. I have been changing my diet up, cutting down on a lot of the sugar in my diet and cutting out a lot of the extra carbs and I’m feeling good. But I know there is more that I can do.

Steve, you’ll have to tell me all about this diet and what you’re doing. I want to get to that point, but it’s a process. I can’t do it immediately, especially during the holidays!

Soccer

Steve is the soccer guy and he just got too serious on me the last time I played with him at the celebrity game in New York City. I think he got upset with me because I scored.

And even though I’m not a “soccer guy” I definitely like trying new things. I’m always up for trying something new and having fun with it.

But all jokes aside, playing in Steve’s game was a great experience. It’s always fun to have the fans be a part of an event like that and be so up close and personal with soccer stars as well as NBA players and celebrities. It’s just a good opportunity to entertain the fans and show them a different side of our athleticism as well as our personalities.

Young PGs

Steve was right about this new class of point guards coming into the league right now. I mean they are bringing it! Some of the young guys that impress me the most would have to be Deron Williams first and foremost; I love that guy’s game. Then you’ve got guys like Brandon Jennings, Chris Paul, Johnny Flynn, and I really like what I see from Tyreke Evans’ game.

This really is a great time for point guards. As I’m getting older I think that the league is going to be in really good hands with those guys at the helm. It’s fun for me to still be a part of that upper echelon of older guards and watch these young guys grow, it’s scary how good they are already.

If I could give these young point guards some advice, it would be to just learn the game and learn to be a leader. Watch the Steve Nash’s and Jason Kidd’s of the world, people that are older than me that I watched and played against for a long time in their primes and see how they run their teams. The most important thing for a point guard is to run your team and be somebody that can really get things done.

Internet Videos

Steve, I still can’t believe you haven’t seen my One Shot video! When we get together at Christmas-time I’m going to show it to you.



I’ve also got another video that is about to come out too. It’s actually an infomercial where I’m selling fake beards. I’ll post it here when we finish it up.

This whole thing got started a few years ago when Steve and I decided to start a company together to show a different side of who we are as professional athletes. Nash and I have been good friends over the past three or four years and we decided to go into business together to do something to help other athletes expand their brands.

At the same time we wanted to make sure that it was steered in the right direction from a digital standpoint to help support the league, as well as to show the individual personality of each player and their interests. It’s just been an amazing run that we’ve had with it so far, and a lot of fun to see the creativity of everyone involved.

If I had to pick my favorite Nash video it would have to be the Vitamin Water infomercial with Canadian Celebrity Steve Nash.



But I still say that the one we did together was the best. I think Nash and I are meant to do a feature film together. We’re the next Richard Pryor and Gene Wilder. Watch for us. We’re definitely going to do another video together. It will probably be a spoof of Stir Crazy or See No Evil, Hear No Evil.

Movies

Some of you may already know this, but I’m a movie buff, so you know I can’t wait to see Avatar. I almost missed a game standing in line to see Avatar. Just joking, but I’m definitely going to check that out on our next day off.

I’ve seen some other good movies recently. I just saw the Blind Side, which was really good. And I’m loving Inglorious Basterds, I just got that on DVD. I think its Quentin Tarantino’s best film up to this point.

Thanks everyone for checking in! Send us some topics you want to see us cover, we’ll try and include them as we go back and forth. Hope ya’ll have a safe and happy holiday! - BD